Important Dates
| August 14 | ♦ Early registration deadline.
Registrations received after this date are subject to a $40 late registration fee! ♦ Last day to pre-register for free training courses. |
| August 16 | Last day to reserve a room at the Grand America Hotel at the guaranteed conference rate. |
| August 21 | Last day to cancel your registration and receive a refund |
| August 31 | Last day to mail in registration forms. After this date registrations should be faxed to +1 801 588 4520 |
| September 4 | DUG Demo submission deadline |
| September 14-16 | Free pre-conference training courses Call or email Karen Klamczynski +1 801-588-7409 Register early - Space is limited! |
| September 15-16 | DUG Standards Committee meeting |
| September 16-18 | Digistar Users Group Annual Meeting |
| September 19 | Special Workshop: Introduction to Digistar 4 |
| September 21-23 | Free post-conference training courses. Call or email Karen Klamczynski +1 801-588-7409 Register early - Space is limited! |
Registration & Meals
Our registration fee is $75US with an added $40 Late Fee for any registration postmarked after August 14th. Any late registraions should be faxed, not mailed to +1 801-588-4520. On-site registration is not available. Registration fees may be paid via Cheque (USD) or via bank wire transfer. Evans & Sutherland does not accept credit cards.
Your registration fee covers meeting activities, snacks and most meals. Anyone with special dietary needs should use the space provided on the registration form or contact: Barbara McBride at +1 801-588-7517 no later than September 4th. Please also contact us if you have any other needs or require special accommodation.
Annual DUG Dues (Currently $20US for individuals or organizations) are often paid in addition to the Registration Fee. According to the DUG Charter, the membership term coincides with the US Calendar year, beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st. If you have any questions about your current membership status, when you last paid dues, etc., please contact the DUG Treasurer, Ron Stinson. Any membership dues included with your DUG registration will be transferred to the DUG Treasurer at the meeting. As always, you may pay DUG dues directly to the DUG Treasurer. See the DUG Membership webpage for more details.
Please see our Registration FAQ page for additional information.
Downloadable Documents and Registration Forms
- 2009 DUG Registration Form (pdf)
- 2009 DUG Activity Schedule (pdf)
- 2009 DUG Delegates List (pdf)
- Visit the DUG membership page and follow the instructions there.
If you are attending the conference:
- Fill out the Registration Form
- Mail whole form with check (payable to "Evans & Sutherland") to the following address:
Kevin Scott
Evans & Sutherland
770 Komas Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
USA
If you miss the early registration deadline: (August 14, 2009)
- You may not receive a registration confirmation
- You must pay the $40 Late Fee
- Any additional training courses or limited activities may be full
If you miss the late registration deadline: (August 31, 2009)
- FAX (do not mail) the registration form to +1 801-588-4520
- Bring your check with you to the conference
- Be sure to include the $40 Late Fee
General Information
You must be present to win door prizes. Full refunds will be given (less dues) if we are notified by August 21, 2009. Last minute schedule changes and conference information will be posted on this web page. Any questions or concerns should be directed to: Kevin Scott, Evans & Sutherland, +1 801 588-7416
Lodging
Our conference lodging and meeting rooms are provided by Grand America Hotel, located at 500 South Main Street in Salt Lake City. The hotel is adjacent to the TRAX light rail system with convenient free access to the Clark Planetarium along with Gateway shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
When registering with the Grand America Hotel by phone (+1 800-437-5288) please indicate that you are registering as part of the "Digistar Users Group" to receive our special DUG meeting rate. The Grand America is holding a block of rooms for DUG, though you should contact the hotel as soon as possible to guarantee a room at this conference hotel with our special rate. Please note: due to construction, the Little America Hotel has relocated our rooms and meeting spaces to their sister property the Grand America. We apologize for any confusion.
Grand America Hotel
2009 Digistar Users Group Meeting rates: ("Digistar Group Special Package")
Note: these special DUG rates are valid September 16-18, 2009. One (1) daily breakfast buffet is provided with each room reservation the mornings of September 17, 18 & 19 only!.
Executive Suites with 1 King or 2 Double beds: $120 + 12.72% tax (approximately $136USD per night)
Premier Rooms with 1 King or 2 Double beds: $110 + 12.72% tax (approximately $124USD per night)
Evans & Sutherland Corporate Rates:
Our E&S corporate rate is available for those arriving early or staying longer. Note that this rate does not include breakfast!
Executive Suites with 1 King or 2 Double beds: $119 + 12.72% tax (approximately $135USD per night)
Premier Rooms with 1 King or 2 Double beds: $102 + 12.72% tax (approximately $115USD per night)
- Amenities
- Premier Rooms (700 sq. ft.) have a spacious working desk, flat panel tv and free wired internet access.
- Executive Suites (880 sq. ft.) have step-out balconies, handcrafted Richelieu furniture and free wireless internet access.
- Indoor & Outdoor heated pool - open year round
- Complimentary access to the Grand Spa
- On-site coffee shop, restaurant, gift shops, and a news/sundries store.
- Complimentary high-speed internet - wired access in room, wireless in lobby.
- Each DUG room reservation includes one (1) complimentary daily breakfast buffet the mornings of September 17-19. Additional breakfast buffets may be purchased on-site. This is an enormous buffet and includes cooked-to-order items. Additional buffet breakfast and dining options are available at the Little America Hotel across the street. The Little America dining services are open during renovations and provide an excellent option for those on a budget.
- Complimentary parking
(Please see the hotel website for a complete list of amenities.)
We are arranging transportation between the Grand America Hotel and E&S.
If you have questions/concerns about accomodations, please contact Barbara McBride at +1 801-588-7517.
Transportation - Getting Here
By Auto – Evans & Sutherland is located in the University of Utah Research Park just east of downtown Salt Lake City. Please reference the included maps for local driving and parking information. We are a short 10-15 minute drive from downtown Salt Lake City and most hotels.
If you need specific driving directions, many online map services will work nicely. If you put our Evans & Sutherland address of "770 Komas Drive, Salt Lake City" as the destination, however, most mapping programs will not show the correct location but they will get very close. Please see the Maps below to help you navigate to our front door.
Some common mapping services that we use here in the USA: maps.google.com, maps.yahoo.com, mapquest.com and mappoint.msn.com.
E&S is a secure facility. When you arrive please ask the receptionist to ring a member of the Digital Theater staff.
Flying In?? More than a dozen airlines service the Salt Lake City International Airport via direct flights or commuter connections from various major US hubs. Delta and SkyWest Airlines have the greatest number of daily flights into and out of Salt Lake City. There are several rental car companies located at the airport and of course it’s very easy to take a taxi as well. Taxi fare to the Grand America Hotel should be less than $21.
TRAX Light Rail - There is a TRAX light rail station adjacent to the Grand America Hotel. This station is within the "Fare Free" zone. From the Grand America it is a free ride into downtown Salt Lake where you’ll find Temple Square, The Gateway shopping and entertainment district, the Clark Planetarium and plenty of dining options. Please note that TRAX does not directly service the University Research Park where E&S is located.
Climate - What to Pack
Casual dress is appropriate for all conference activities.Utah will still be observing Mountain Daylight Saving Time during the meeting, but sunsets come early and evenings can be chilly. Average daily temperatures range from 75-40 °F (24-4 °C) Light jackets/sweaters and hats are recommended. September can also bring warm "Indian Summer" sunshine so bring along lighter clothes too. If you’re planning a trip to Southern Utah, temperatures there can be 10-15 °F warmer!
Salt Lake is situated at an elevation of 4200 feet (1290m) with a semi-arid climate. Be sure to bring sunscreen for any outdoor activities and remember to drink plenty of water. The Wasatch mountain peaks reach elevations of 11,000 feet (3,350m) and higher. For those planning excursions into the mountains, please be aware of the potential for elevation sickness.
DUG Demos & Digistar Awards
The Digistar Awards are sponsored by Evans & Sutherland to recognize excellence in Digistar productions and to promote DUG library submissions. In 2008, award winners received binoculars, SkySkouts and other gifts provided by E&S. We encourage everyone to submit a DUG library entry for award consideration. All material is welcome for showcasing at the meeting, but only those entries that are submitted to the DUG Library are eligible for the Digistar Awards.
Submitting via the DUG Library:
Of course the DUG FTP site is the preferred method to transmit demos and library entries. Please follow up any FTP submissions with an email so we know to look for them. Also, please be sure to let us know whether you want the submission entered as a demo only or for submission to the DUG Library and eligible for an award.
FTP site name: ftp.es.com
login: usrgroup
Submitting via Post:
Stan Pitcher
Evans & Sutherland
770 Komas Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
USA
DII - DAT tapes or CDROMs are fine. (Please Tar and GZIP your entries!)
D3 - CD/DVD media is fine, along with USB and Firewire portable hard drives.
Please make your best effort to have all demo materials to us well in advance of the meeting date, preferably before September 4th. Please send demo materials in advance and do not plan on hand carrying demos to the meeting! When building demos for Digistar 3, please use the parent folder \Users\DUG2009\ and adjust your scripts/installation accordingly.
We hope to have the following systems available for demos: Digistar II in a small tilted dome, D3 Laser, D3 DLP and D3 Sony in our main demo dome (36' diameter), and D3 SP2HD in our small flat dome (24' diameter). D3SP2HD handles the following fulldome video resolutions: 1024x1024, 1280x1024, 1408x1408, and 2048x2048. D3 DLP provides on-screen resolution that is roughly 3000x3000 pixels. D3 Laser and D3 Sony are 4096x4096 pixels. It may also be possible to utilize the D3 CRT system at the Clark Planetarium.
Please contact Marty Sisam if you would like to confirm video rendering parameters for any of the D3 systems.
Digistar Awards
Please remember that only those demos that are destined for the DUG library are eligible for DUG awards. Of course you're always welcome to showcase any work that you like.Door Prizes
Following tradition, DUG meeting delegates bring a small gift from their home institution to be given away as part of a random "door prize" drawing. Gifts highlighting local culture or your facility are ideal and are a great way to showcase your institution. You are not required to bring a door prize. If you have small trinkets or other items that you would like to give to all delegates, that is also perfectly acceptable.When you arrive, please be sure your door prizes are given to Amy Wright.
Contact Information
| General Questions | Lodging | Training Seminars |
|
Kevin Scott +1 801-588-7416 |
Barbara McBride +1 801-588-7517 |
Karen Klamczynski +1 801-588-7409 |
| Demos | Audio Requirements | Door Prizes |
|
Karen Klamczynski +1 801-588-7409 |
Michael Daut +1 801-588-1627 |
Amy Wright +1 801-588-7676 |
In Event of Emergency
In the unlikely event that a guest must be reached immediately during scheduled activities, calls may be placed directly to our main Evans & Sutherland telephone number: +1 801 588 1000. Explain the situation and give the delegate's name and any other useful information. Our receptionist will be equipped to directly contact appropriate E&S staff.
DUG Business Meeting Agenda
Preliminary
Please contact our DUG President Mike George if you have any additional items for the DUG Business Meeting Agenda.
- Evans & Sutherland Report
- Status report
- Current projects/issues
- Service Contracts
- Selected Topics
- Secretary's Report
- Minutes Approval
- Newsletter Report
- Treasurer’s Report
- Year’s accounting
- Standards Committee Reoprt
- Discussion on IMERSA
- Web Site/Listserv Report
- Web site status
- Listserv status
- DUG Library Status
- DUG Charter/Standing Rules
- Review
- DUG Membership Qualifications
- Selection of 2007 Meeting Site
- Election of Officers
- DUG President
- DUG Treasurer
- DUG Secretary
- Topics from the Floor
- Announcements
- Adjournment
Scheduled Activities
(Subject to Change)
Monday, September 14
9am Pre-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
Tuesday, September 15
9am Digistar Standards Committee Meeting - Evans & Sutherland
Pre-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
Wednesday, September 16
9am Digistar Standards Committee Meeeting - Evans & Sutherland
Pre-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
5pm Registration table opens - Clark Planetarium Lobby
6pm Reception at the Clark Planetarium - Sponsored by:
Thursday, September 17
9am DUG Business Meeting
12pm Lunch
2pm Transfer to Evans & Sutherland (Grand America Hotel - 600 S lobby)
2:30pm Workshops and User Demos
6pm Transfer to Grand America Hotel
Dinner on your own
Friday, September 18
8:30am board busses to Evans & Sutherland (Grand America Hotel - 600 S lobby)
9am User Demos
12pm Lunch - Sponsored by:
"New Developments in Lighting, Audio and Control from Bowen Technovation"
2pm User Demos
6pm Dinner - Sponsored by:
8pm Visit to Stansbury Park Observatory Complex - Sponsored by:
Saturday, September 19
9am Introduction to Digistar 4 Workshop - Evans & Sutherland
Monday, September 21
9am Post-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
Tuesday, September 22
9am Post-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
Wednesday, September 23
9am Post-Conference Training Courses - Evans & Sutherland
Reception Notes:
We will have a registration table set up in the lobby of the Clark Planetarium from 6pm to 8pm.
If you arrive in Salt Lake City before the start of the reception, please consider attending the DUG Standards Committee Meeting at E&S.
DUG Seminars
The following seminars are included with your DUG Meeting registration. The content will be presented in a lecture format. These are not intended to be "hands-on" seminars, but rather informational in nature.Please check back soon for more information on Thursday and Friday seminars.
If you would like to give a presentation at DUG, please contact Kevin Scott with the following information:
- Your Name
- Your planetarium or institution name
- Title of your presentation
- brief description
- preferred duration
- any special equipment required beyond a standard conference room video projector
Free Training Courses for Digistar system owners
Evans & Sutherland will again be offering free training courses for Digistar system owners. This year we will be conducting training both before and after the DUG meeting. Space is limited and pre-registration is required for all training courses.
Registration:
All of these DUG Training Courses are free, though you must be a Digistar system owner to attend, and we will give registration preference to those attending the DUG meeting. If you would like to attend one or more of the training courses but not the DUG meeting, your name will be placed on a waiting list and you will be notified if space is available after the early registration deadline. Please use the 2009 DUG Registration Form (when available) to select a training course. Register early!! Space is limited!! Mail registration forms to:
-
Kevin Scott
Evans & Sutherland
770 Komas Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
USA
Please note! Attendees will be responsible for their own food, lodging, and transportation during these courses! Also note that courses may be cancelled if there are no pre-registrations.
Pre-conference Training:
Our Pre-conference training offerings include a number of day-long courses. You are invited to select one course each day. We're providing a variety of topics and the flexibility to choose the courses you want to attend.- Monday, September 14
- DII Projector Tuning & Maintenance
- Preventative maintenance procedures
- Image adjustment and tuning
- DII Software Refresher
- Basic topics in Digistar II scripting
- D3 Software Introduction
- An introductory course for those unfamiliar with Digistar 3
- Basic operation and user interface controls
- Essential scripting techniques
- SP2HD Projector Alignment and Blending
- Physical alignment techniques
- Using D3Align (also useful for SP2 projector owners)
- Projector blending techniques
- Tuesday, September 15
- DII Workstation Maintenance
- Physical inspection and cleaning
- User Account Management
- File permissions and directory management
- Transfering files to/from the Sun workstation
- Backup procedures
- Creating realtime models for D3
- 3D model support features and limitations
- Using the Digistar 3 .X model export plug-in for Autodesk 3DS Max
- Converting DII models for use in D3
- Multi-channel DLP Projector Alignment and Blending
- Physical alignment techniques
- Using D3Align (also useful for CRT projector owners)
- Projector blending techniques
- D3 PC Hardware Maintenance
- Physical inspection and cleaning
- Troubleshooting techniques
- File management and Backups
- Introduction to drivers and support files
- SupportInfo and the E&S Support Ticket system
- Wednesday, September 16
- Advanced D3 Software topics
- Working with Virtual Projectors
- Drawing modes, scene scale and sorting
- Building Parent/Child structures
- Sony Projector Alignment and Blending
- Physical alignment techniques
- Using D3Align
- Projector blending techniques
- Modeling and Animation for DII
- Creating and converting models for DII
- Building DII animations
- Fulldome Video Production Pipeline
- Best practices and production process overview
- Introduction to Digistar fulldome video tools and plugins
- Working with a renderfarm
Digistar 4 Workshop:
We're offering a special day-long workshop to highlight Digistar 4 features.- Saturday, September 19
- Introduction to D4, Instructors: the D4 Engineering Team
Post-Conference Training:
The week following the DUG meeting we're offering accellerated versions of our core real-time and production courses. These two courses run concurrently; you may register for one course only.- Monday-Wednesday, September 21-23
- Digistar 3 Realtime software Training, Instructor: Karen Klamczynski
- Digistar 3 Production Training, Instructor: Kevin Scott
Salt Lake and Utah Attractions
Delegates are encouraged to come early or stay late and build in some "vacation time" to enjoy Utah’s great variety of attractions. Guides to area attractions will be included in your conference registration package when you arrive. Also check out www.utah.com or travel.utah.gov. You may also be interested in the Connect Pass which offers discounts on many Salt Lake City attractions.- In Salt Lake City
- Temple Square is home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is located in downtown Salt Lake City. Temple Square is home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Salt Lake Temple, gardens and visitor centers. Free tours are available. A short TRAX ride from the conference hotel.
- The Gateway is Salt Lake City's outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment headquarters. The Gateway houses more than 90 shops and several restaurants. There is also a multi-screen cinema on-site, along with the new Discovery Gateway Children's Museum and the Olympic Cauldron Park commemorating the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The Gateway is a short TRAX ride (or modest walk) from the Grand America Hotel, and also offers two covered parking garages (parking fee applies).
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts is a free museum located on the University of Utah campus. Permanent and traveling exhibits. 10 minute TRAX ride from the conference hotel.
- The Clark Planetarium and IMAX theater is located in the Gateway shopping and entertainment complex.
Address: 110 South 400 West, Salt Lake City. (801) 456-8727.
There is paid parking available. Be sure to get a parking validation from the Clark Planetarium ticket desk to reduce the parking fees.
- Near Salt Lake City
- Millcreek Canyon Trailheads and campgrounds in each of the major Salt Lake valley canyons can usually be reached in about 30 minutes by car. The canyons are also served by our municipal busses.
- Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Park City, Utah is a mountain community with plenty of shopping and dining options. Park City is also home to three world-class ski resorts that also have summer activities. Park City is approximately 30 minutes from Salt Lake by car.
- Bingham Canyon (Kennecott) Copper Mine is the world's largest open-pit copper mine. Blasting occurs continuously and is often visible from the visitors center. The mine is approximately 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake by car.
- Great Salt Lake (1 hr drive)
- Around Utah
- Arches National Park (5 hr drive)
- Bonneville Salt Flats (2 hr drive)
- Bryce Canyon National Park (5 hr drive)
- Canyonlands National Park (5 hr drive)
- Capitol Reef National Park (5 hr drive)
- Zion National Park (5 hr drive)
- Further Afield
- Grand Canyon National Park (9 hr drive - south rim)
- Grand Teton National Park (6 hr drive)
- Las Vegas, NV (6 hr drive)
- Yellowstone National Park (6 hr drive)
Post-Conference Excursion
We're exploring options to visit a dark sky location in Southern Utah and the possibility of touring a few of our Utah National Parks. If you would be interested in such a tour, please let us know.Some members of our staff may also be willing to lead walking tours of the mountains and canyons around Salt Lake, and perhaps further afield.
